Origin Seventh-century Arabia, in the Quranic text and the earliest hadith collections; the hadith of Gabriel naming its three-part structure is recorded in the canonical collections of Muslim and, in a related version, al-Bukhari.
Ihsan, most often translated excellence or doing what is beautiful, is defined in a hadith reported by Muslim as worshipping God as though one sees Him, and if that is not possible, in the knowledge that He sees you. The Quran uses the term repeatedly to describe conduct that goes beyond bare obligation toward generosity and grace, and classical scholarship treats ihsan as the third and highest of the three dimensions of the religion, built on islam, submission, and iman, faith.
Facts
Origins
Origin PeriodSeventh-century Arabia, in the Quranic text and the earliest hadith collections; the hadith of Gabriel naming its three-part structure is recorded in the canonical collections of Muslim and, in a related version, al-Bukhari. 1 Place of OriginThe Hejaz, western Arabia. 1 Origin of the NameArabic ihsan, from the root h-s-n, good or beautiful, the verbal noun meaning to do well or to make beautiful. 1 Status
Status Within the TraditionStandard teaching, not formally defined 1 Doctrinal Status DetailClassical scholarship treats ihsan as the third and highest of the three dimensions of the religion, built on islam, submission, and iman, faith, following the structure of the same hadith; the Quran uses the term repeatedly for conduct that exceeds bare obligation toward generosity and grace. 1 Attestation
Meaning in the Attesting SourceExcellence, or doing what is beautiful; defined in a hadith reported by Muslim as worshipping God as though one sees Him, and, failing that, in the knowledge that He sees you. 1 Connections
Belongs to Tradition
Source The Study Quran: A New Translation and CommentarySeyyed Hossein Nasr (editor-in-chief)
Originates in Language
Source The Study Quran: A New Translation and CommentarySeyyed Hossein Nasr (editor-in-chief)
Related To
Classical scholarship links the disciplining of the nafs toward its peaceful station with the deepening of ihsan, worshipping God as though one sees Him.
Source The Study Quran: A New Translation and CommentarySeyyed Hossein Nasr (editor-in-chief)
Same As
Islamic virtue Ihsan (excellence) and the doctrine entity of the identical hadith term.
Sources
1. The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary
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